'Orphan Black': Creator John Fawcett breaks down the latest episode

[SPOILER ALERT: Read on only if you have already watched Saturday’s episode of Orphan Black.]

Why, Paul, you naughty boy! And naughty in more ways than one. Tonight’s Orphan Black episode was filled with people making big moves — sexual and otherwise. Like Rachel’s new monitor, for instance. That’s right, after bring told by Rachel that he needed to pick a side, Paul swooped into action — framing Felix for murder and then doing the do with Rachel while two of her fellow clones (Sarah and Helena) watched. Kinky! Elsewhere, Dr. Leekie ignored orders from Rachel to shut down Cosima’s stem cell treatments, Gracie paid dearly for trying to kill Helena, and Cal proved that there is some mystery and intrigue in his past as well. We caught up with Orphan Black co-creator John Fawcett to talk all about tonight’s episode.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: We’re seeing some cracks in the big happy Neolutionist family, specifically between Rachel and Leekie. And then he ignores an order from her to stop treatment on Cosima. Is this just a typical corporate power struggle, or is there something more there?

JOHN FAWCETT: There’s certainly hinting at more. There is more than just a corporate power struggle. That’s certainly part of it, I think there is a power struggle between Rachel and Leekie. But there’s obviously hinting at a personal relationship between them. As said in the episode, he became Rachel’s guardian when Rachel’s parents were killed, so he’s kind of been a father figure to her. I think the episode is really about Rachel’s vendetta against Sarah. This is kind of a continuing of what we set up at the beginning — a war between Rachel and Sarah — and this episode is very focused on Rachel wreaking vengeance.

EW: So Paul is put in a position where he has to choose a side, and he seemingly chooses it by framing Felix for murder. What’s going on with this guy? Is he just in survival mode, is he buying himself some time to figure stuff out, or does he really feel loyalty to Rachel?

FAWCETT: I think Paul is very much caught in between his allegiances and feelings for Sarah and his bosses. He’s kind of between a rock and a hard place. I think Paul is never really certain whose side he’s on, and whether or not he perhaps has his own agenda. So that’s part of the fun of that character.

EW: When you talk about a “hard place,” I’m not sure if you’re referencing that scene with him and Rachel on the chair, but exactly how many clones is this guy going to have sex with? And is Alison next?

FAWCETT: [laughs] She might be, you never know. That’s exactly what Sarah says about him in that scene — how many notches in your clone belt now?

EW: It’s so weird, that scene when Sarah and Helena are watching Paul and Rachel get it on — just the thought of Sarah having to watch him have sex with one of her clone sisters that looks just like her.

FAWCETT: Yeah, that’s definitely part of the fun of it. But it’s also one of those things where you really get to see Paul in the middle and Sarah still has feelings for Paul to some degree and Rachel’s kind of using him. She’s using him as a way to get what she wants.

EW: Dude, having Gracie’s mouth be sewn shut? I couldn’t handle that. You guys have been incorporating some classic horror imagery this season. That was so gnarly.

FAWCETT: Yeah, it really is. It’s funny because when that idea broke — and I think it was Graeme’s idea, I think he was the one that suggested it and then went, “No, no, it’s too much over the top” — I was the one going, “It’s awesome! We gotta do it!” I think it’s part of the fun of the show, that we can do a genre mashup and incorporate horror elements, as you saw in episode 4. Episode 4 kind of wound up very, very horror themed towards the end of the episode with Helena’s return and the killing of Daniel.

EW: Yeah, shades of Carrie there. So we see Kira and Cal in this camper and we see he’s got a whole stack of fake IDs tucked away and a gun. Is there a backstory to this guy beyond what we already know?

FAWCETT: Of course there is. Everyone’s got a backstory and everyone’s part of the mystery. The interesting thing we’re trying to push forward with Cal is, who is he, really? And why does he have a go bag? He seems like he’s ready to run and that’s sort of one of our mystery threads through the season.

EW: The episode ends with Helena saying that to find the Swan Man they need to go to Cold River, “the place of screams.” Sounds delightful! What do you want to tease about what they may find there?

FAWCETT: This is really the beginning of the search…the scientists in the LEDA picture, presumed dead, but one of them may be alive. This is kind of the beginning of trying to track down a big part of the puzzle that will help us with a lot of our big questions. And it’s interesting, I think, putting Helena as sort of a little bit in charge of the knowledge and putting Sarah and Helena on the road together, the two sisters. The two yin/yang sisters.

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